Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez
Just as soon as it began, the MLB regular season is coming to a close this week.
Who's Hot?
There's no question who the hottest hitter in baseball is right now. Jose Ramirez has been on a tear over the last week, hitting six homers and driving in 16 runs over his last six games. The last of those home runs was a dramatic walk-off dinger which clinched a postseason spot for the Cleveland Indians.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody BellingerJohn McCoy - Getty Images
Out west, a couple of Dodgers are getting hot at the right time. Corey Seager is hitting .529 over his last four games, while Cody Bellinger is just behind the shortstop, slashing .500 in his last five games. Los Angeles has already sewn up the NL West crown but they'll need the duo to continue their hot hitting in the postseason if they Dodgers finally want to get over the hump and win their first World Series in over 30 years.
Battling Los Angeles to be the favorite in the National League are the Atlanta Braves. Powering the Braves of late has been Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies who have combined for six home runs and 14 RBIs in Atlanta's last five games. If Albies and Ozuna can stay hot, and if Ronald Acuna Jr. can turn up his production, the Braves could give the Dodgers all they can handle if the teams meet in the playoffs.
Back in the American League, the Chicago White Sox have cooled off as of late. Trying to keep the flame from being extinguished is Jose Abreu. The Cuban first baseman has eight hits in his last 21 at-bats, with three of those hits being home runs. Abreu will be looking to continue his roll to close out the regular season to keep his name in the AL MVP race.
Looking for one last strong start for your fantasy team in the regular season? The best pitchers in baseball over the last week are relative unknowns. Pittsburgh's Steven Brault has thrown a complete game and struck out 14 batters in his last two starts, while Griffin Canning of the Los Angeles Angels has two wins and 17 strikeouts in 11 innings of work.
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit ColeBrad Penner - USA TODAY Sports
For the month of September, three of the best pitchers are names that are a little more familiar to fans. Gerrit Cole is living up to his monster contract, going 3-1 so far this month with 34 strikeouts over 27 innings. Cole's efforts have helped the Yankees to break out of a dreadful August slump.
Luis Castillo has been a major reason why the Reds are currently sitting in a playoff position. Castillo is 4-0 this month, giving up just 16 hits over 28 innings, while striking out 33 batters. Even though it looks like they'll barely sneak into the playoffs, the Cincinnati rotation of Castillo, Trevor Bauer, and Sonny Gray could cause opponents fits.
Chris Bassitt of the Oakland Athletics might not have the star power of Cole and Castillo, but he has been just as good, winning all three of his September starts, allowing just one run so far during the month. Bassitt has quietly put himself at the top of the Oakland rotation with his work over the past two years.
Who's Not?
Remember last week when Josh Bell was on our "Who's Hot" list? Funny how a week can change things. Bell hasn't been able to hit a beach ball over the last week. Bell is hitless in his last 19 at-bats, with nine of those at-bats ending with Bell striking out.
Joining Bell in the 0-fer club is J.D. Davis of the New York Mets, who is also hitless in his last 19 at-bats. Much like Bell, Davis has seen most of his at-bats lately ending in embarrassment, as he has struck out 10 times in the last week.
Earlier we put Jose Abreu on our "Who's Hot" list. The same can't be said for teammates Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada, who are a combined 1-41 over the last week. Moncada has the lone hit during that span between the two. If Robert and Moncada's struggles bleed into the playoffs, the White Sox will find themselves sent home early.
Trailing the White Sox in the standings are the Minnesota Twins. If the Twins want to avoid the New York Yankees in the playoffs, Miguel Sano has to bust out of the current slump he is mired in. Sano has just one hit in his last 20 at-bats, with 11 of those at-bats ending with a strikeout.
Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick CorbinScott Taetsch - Getty Images
There are a few pitchers who can't wait for this season to be over. After winning the World Series with the Washington Nationals last season, Patrick Corbin has been awful in September, posting an 0-4 record with a 6.17 ERA in four starts this month.
Jordan Lyles of the Texas Rangers has pitched in five games in September, starting three of those games. Lyles is giving up a hit an inning, surrendering 30 hits and allowing 18 earned runs so far this month.
Toronto is going to have a decision to make in the postseason in how they want to use Tanner Roark, who is 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA in four September starts. Roark's last start on Tuesday night saw him get shelled by the Yankees. We could see Roark get one more start in the regular season, but if he is ineffective he might not feature heavily in the postseason plans of the Blue Jays.
Stanley Cup Final Game 2: Tampa Bay Lightning v. Dallas Stars
The Stars started off life in the bubble slow and nearly were sent home when the Colorado Avalanche pushed Dallas to a seventh game in the Western Conference Semifinals. Dallas really found their groove against Las Vegas in the Western Conference Final, dumping the top-seeded Golden Knights out of the playoffs in five games. Defense was the deciding factor in the series, with the Stars only allowing Las Vegas to score eight goals in five games.
Dallas has really shined when the pressure has been turned up. So far in this year's playoffs, the Stars have gone to overtime in five games, winning all five of those contests. In game 5 against Las Vegas, Dallas found themselves in a 2-0 hole before tying up the game with two goals in the third period, sending the game to overtime. Denis Gurianov secured the first trip to the Stanley Cup Final for the Stars in 20 years with a power play goal just three minutes into overtime.
After jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay needed a couple games to close out the Islanders. The Lightning couldn't get the job done in double overtime in game 5, but Jon Cooper's team wouldn't be denied in Game 6, with Anthony Cirelli's goal securing Tampa Bay their third appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.
Much like Dallas, Tampa Bay has been well versed in overtime during the playoffs, playing two overtime games in each series, posting a 5-1 record in those games. The Lightning must be getting paid by the hour during the playoffs, since in each series they have seen a game go to multiple overtimes. The most notable of those games came in the first game of the first round of the playoffs, as the Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets played the fourth-longest game in NHL history after the game wasn't decided until the middle of the fifth overtime.
Tampa Bay right wing Nikita KucherovKim Klement - USA TODAY Sports
Including the two games in this series, Nikita Kucherov is the leading scorer in the playoffs, with last year's league MVP registering 28 points in 21 games. Kucherov has shown he is one of the best playmakers in the league, notching 22 assists during the playoffs. Between the regular season and postseason, Kucherov now has 113 points. The next goal from Kucherov will be his 40th combined goal of the season.
Brayden Point sits just two points behind Kucherov for the team lead, but Point is leading the Lightning with 10 goals in the playoffs. Point opened up the scoring for Tampa Bay in Game 2, and was followed just minutes later by Ondrej Palat, who netted his ninth goal of the playoffs. Tying Palat with nine tallies so far in the playoffs is Victor Hedman, who fell just short of winning the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL.
Dallas might not have the offensive firepower than Tampa Bay does, but that doesn't mean the you should sleep on the ability of the Stars to put the puck in the back of the net. After Tyler Seguin led Dallas with just 50 points during the regular season, defenseman Miro Heiskanen has recorded nearly half that amount so far in the playoffs, tallying 23 points. Veteran Joe Pavelski leads Dallas with 10 goals, and right behind Pavelski is Denis Gurianov, who has scored nine goals. Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have both netted eight goals so far in the postseason.
Where this series will be decided is between the pipes. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is 15-6 so far in the playoffs, sporting a tidy 1.88 goals against average. Even though Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck denied Vasilevskiy his second straight Vezina Trophy, many would tab the Tampa Bay net-minder as the best goaltender in the NHL today.
Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin Bruce Bennett - Getty Images
Dallas had questions at goalie early in the playoffs when Ben Bishop really struggled in three appearances, forcing Bowness to pull the former Tampa Bay goalie and turn to backup Anton Khudobin. So far Khudobin has not disappointed, saving 35 shots in Game 1 to give Dallas a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. During the playoffs this year, Khudobin has posted a 13-7 record with a 2.57 goals against average.
This is the first Stanley Cup Final played between teams from the "sun belt", so naturally it is being played in Canada. Dallas has been a great story in the playoffs, especially with the adversity they faced after moving on from Montgomery. The Stars have come together against the best teams in the Western Conference, but Tampa Bay is on a mission after being embarrassed in last year's playoffs, when the eighth-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets swept the Lightning in the first round.
Dallas gives Tampa Bay all they can handle but the Stars come up just short. Vasilevskiy continues his outstanding run of play, earning playoff MVP honors as Tampa Bay wins in six games, earning their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Miami Dolphins RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
Indianapolis Colts QB Jacob EasonAbbie Parr - Getty Images
Jacob Eason - QB - Indianapolis Colts
There weren't many other spots Jacob Eason could have landed in the NFL that would have been better than Indianapolis. The Colts signed veteran quarterback Philip Rivers during the offseason before drafting Eason, which means Indianapolis doesn't need their fourth-round pick to step in and contribute right away. Instead, Eason can soak up knowledge from Rivers, backup Jacoby Brissett this year, and position himself to take over the quarterback job in 2021 if the Colts don't bring Rivers back for a second season.
Eason started his college career at Georgia, tossing 16 touchdowns as a true freshman after coming to Athens as a five-star recruit. In the first game of his sophomore season, Eason was injured, which allowed Jake Fromm to take over, leading to Eason transferring to Washington, where he threw 23 touchdowns in 2019.
Eason was an intriguing prospect coming out of college because he has the measurables that scouts drool over, standing at 6-foot-6. Once Indianapolis decides to move on to Eason, he'll have talented targets like Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman Jr. to work with. Once Eason gets to take a shot at earning the starting job, don't expect him to give it up for a while.
Arizona Cardinals RB Eno BenjaminRick Scuteri - Associated Press
Eno Benjamin - RB - Arizona Cardinals
Eno Benjamin was one of the most electric running backs in college football the last two seasons. After seeing limited carries for the Sun Devils in 2017, Benjamin started making noise in 2018 by rushing for a school record 312 yards against Oregon State. In the last two seasons with Arizona State, Benjamin rushed for at least 100 yards in 15 games.
So why am I so high on a running back that was taken in the seventh round? Location, location, location. Not only will Benjamin be playing professionally just 30 minutes away from where he played college football, but he is also now part of one of the most promising young teams in the NFL. Benjamin joins quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in head coach Kliff Kingsbury's dynamic offense.
Currently the Cardinals have Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds ahead of Benjamin at running back, but neither has been able to consistently stay healthy at the NFL level. It doesn't feel like "if" Benjamin gets a shot to carry the load at running back, but more "when". Once Benjamin gets a taste of the starting running back role, expect him to run with the opportunity.
Antonio Gandy-Golden - WR - Washington Football Team
Antonio Gandy-Golden might not have the name recognition that some of the wide receivers taken before him, but that doesn't mean Gandy-Golden doesn't have talent. The wide receiver from Liberty amassed three straight seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.
What could set Gandy-Golden up for success is he'll have a young quarterback to grow with. Dwayne Haskins will be entering his second season in the nation's capital, and has to be happy to get a wide receiver who can go up and get the football and compliment the speedy Terry McLaurin. While McLaurin will likely get most of the love from Haskins since the two were teammates at Ohio State, expect Haskins to look Gandy-Golden's way plenty in the future.
Lynn Bowden Jr. - RB/WR - Miami Dolphins
If you were looking for one word to describe Lynn Bowden Jr., it would be versatile. During his time at Kentucky, Bowden started his career as a returner, graduated to wide receiver, and last year was the team's leading rusher while playing quarterback. Bowden was the recipient of the Paul Hornung Award as college football's most versatile player in 2019.
The start of Bowden's NFL career has been a little odd after the Las Vegas Raiders recently traded Bowden, who they selected in the third round of April's NFL Draft, to the Miami Dolphins. Don't let the trade scare you away from picking up Bowden, as he should have plenty of opportunities to make an impact on a young team that will be building around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Expect Brian Flores to try and find creative ways to use Bowden in the future, as he could wind up being used in many of the same ways Percy Harvin was.
Cleveland Browns TE Harrison BryantKathy Hitchcock - Palm Beach Post
Harrison Bryant - TE - Cleveland Browns
How good is Harrison Bryant? Even though the Cleveland Browns already had Austin Hooper and David Njoku, they couldn't pass up on the Florida Atlantic tight end. Bryant was the winner of the Mackey Award last year as the best tight end in college football, marking the first time a player from a Group of Five team won the award. Bryant finished the season with 65 catches for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns.
With the depth Cleveland has at tight end, they don't need Bryant to be a star right away, but they do have big plans for him in the future. With a young quarterback like Baker Mayfield to work with, Bryant could become one of Mayfield's favorite targets going forward. While Mayfield was at Oklahoma, one of his favorite targets was Mark Andrews, and you could see a similar relationship develop with the talented Bryant.
